Cornegy Delivers Air Conditioner to 100-year-old Vet
City Council Member Robert E. Cornegy Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) today will partner with Brooklyn Neighborhood Services today to deliver air conditioner to Bed-Stuy resident, Mr. James Been, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday.
The delivery also comes after Cornegy recently secured Been’s longtime brownstone home from a fraudulent loan with help of Mobilizing for Justice attorneys. Been a World War II veteran has been living in the home for more than 90 years.
Cornegy secured a portion of Bed-Stuy with the designation of a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) in 2019. The horizontal, or neighborhood, NORC in Bed-Stuy is administered by Brooklyn Neighborhood Services.
As the city’s Department for the Aging describes NORCs, they provide “supportive-services programs at dozens of NORCs in the City, where residents can access health and social services where they live. Services include health and wellness activities, fitness classes, case-management assistance, help with benefits and entitlements, educational activities, outings, and volunteer opportunities.”
Seniors in needing to beat the heat this summer may reach out to their local NORC, call 311, or the Department for the Aging to learn about resources available including city cooling centers and programs that assist those eligible to receive air conditioners.
Been’s air conditioner will be delivered to his house at 9 a.m. today, July 10 at 177 Halsey Street ion Bed-Stuy.
Myrie Seeks Volunteers to Get Census 2020 Forms Filled Out
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park) is continuing his push to make sure residents fill out the 2020 Census forms.
“We’re writing today with bad news: Brooklyn is very behind on the census. In fact, out of the 5 boroughs, we are dead last. Right now our census self-response rate is about 50 percent — worse than we did in 2010,” wrote Myrie in his e-newsletter.
“This is a dire situation: if we don’t get our census count up in Brooklyn, we will miss out on funding for our schools, hospitals, and jobs programs where they’re needed the most and we’ll have less political representation in next year’s redistricting process.
“Beginning next week, we have two opportunities for you to help us get our numbers up. We’re partnering with the NYC Census 2020 office to call our neighbors and make sure they fill out the census. By using predictive dialing, we will be able to reach a lot of people in a short period of time — especially if we get a lot of volunteers.”
To volunteer, you’ll need access to a phone and computer. There are two available times: see below and click the image or here to RSVP.
Gillibrand, Colleagues Call for Transit Funding in Next Stimulus Package
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, this week joined 24 colleagues in urging Senate leadership to provide an additional $32 billion in emergency supplemental funding for public transit agencies in the next COVID-19 stimulus package.
“Whether it’s essential workers heading to hospitals and care facilities, individuals heading to vital medical appointments, or students getting ready to head back to school in the fall, New Yorkers rely on mass transit to get where they need to go,” said Gillibrand. “We must act swiftly to make sure that all New Yorkers, including the tens of thousands of public transportation workers who keep our trains and buses moving, are able to do this safely. Our economic comeback depends on investing in public transportation and it’s critical that federal transit funding is included in the next stimulus package.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, eight million people in the NYC region used the subways, buses, and railways each weekday. Subway ridership alone has plummeted around 90%, with an average of 505,000 daily riders on buses in April and May. Frontline workers in cleaning services and social services are among the most reliant on public transit, according to a report from the NYC comptroller.
Gillibrand has pressed for funding to support New York’s public transit systems in order to help the economy recover. Senator Gillibrand has also fought to protect frontline transit workers by updating safety guidelines around access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
Ortiz Calls State to Divest From Fossil Fuels
Assistant Assembly Speaker Félix W. Ortiz (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) is urgently calling on New York to divest from fossil fuels now, due to this week’s setbacks hitting the fossil fuel industry.
The lawmaker’s call comes as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline has been canceled by Dominion and Duke Energy, the Dakota Access Pipeline was ordered to shut down in August and a decision to uphold a freeze on the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline was handed down this week.
“Currently, companies involved in the fossil fuel industry are at an even greater risk of losing value,” said Ortiz. “In combination with the negative impact fossil fuels have on the environment and climate, it’s time for New York to divest now. Divesting NYS Common Retirement Fund monies makes sense from a fiscal and an environmental perspective. New York can’t afford to wait,” said Ortiz.
“I stand proudly with the 97 sponsors from the Assembly and Senate calling on New York to pass the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (A.1536-A/S.2126-B) and request that it be taken up when we reconvene in July,” he added.
